TrapOx and warranty replacement - funky situation
 

Hey all-

I got a replacement '85 TD engine to swap into my wagon from a donor car. I just pulled the turbo off to check it out, and it looks like the trap oxidizer killed it. The compressor wheel spins freely and smoothly, but the hot side is frozen solid and can't be spun at all. There's black chunky stuff in there, and my probe hits solid stuff inside the trap oxidizer. As far as I can tell, this means that it spit its guts into the turbo and ruined it, which is exactly what the recall was for (right?).

question 1: is my diagnosis correct, or is there some other cause that I should investigate? and if so, how?

question 2: if i show up with my turbo / trapox assembly will I be able to get those replaced under the recall? i don't have access to the donor car and my own wagon is an '80, so I'm worried that might be an issue.

question 3: is there any particular dealership that would be best to go to? I'm about 1 mile away from the mercedes classic center (the one in irvine, ca), but I'm guessing they wouldn't handle something like this. If a particular dealership in the orange county area would be better, do tell.

No I dont think its a go deal--- you got the engine from the car that should have had it changed--But if you put the whole assembly in the car and take it to a dealer---There are more benevolent ones and less so ones, It might be possible --But i doubt it.

just sent the following e-mail to tom at the classic center, will let everyone know what i hear back.

fadfos;ahlsdkjghklwjghaslkjgahsklfhsdklfjp;etg9qbv

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

continued:



is it just me or does the last part of tom's reply sound sorta like 'now f*** off and stop buggin me' :(

pretty much...

He's totally correct though. the warranty is on the vehicle, not the engine.
if the vehicle had been taken to the dealer prior to the removal of the engine, they might have changed the turbo for you, but actually, I think the recall is only on the 603 equipped vehicles... I do not have any proof of this though.

Ya, the warranty only covers the car as it left the factory. VW won't do the recall on the heated seats I retrofitted to my car, they weren't installed by VW.

It sucks, but it is fairly reasonable.

-J

even more joy: my '85 300D which is currently parked with a blown head gasket also needs the recall work done, but the dealer in riverside says they will not do the service unless the car is running first.....wtf!

HERe IS THE translation

with kind regards, with friendly emotions (when ending a letter)


best wishes, all the best!, I wish you luck!, yours, yours truly, yours with blessings (at the end of a letter)

sounds like it :(

no i was referring to

:(

i spoke to mbusa, they said the same thing. no car, no service. so then i called around to some dealerships about my dead blue car since it needs the same recall work anyway. the one where the car is (riverside) won't do the trapox/turbo if the rest of the engine isnt running. fletcher jones in newport beach (near me) will do it, but that means towing the dead car from riverside to newport....:(:(:(

So the 85 TD engine is going into the 80 TD if I understand this correctly? I understand you want MB to replace the Trap and Turbo under the recall, which won`t happen unless it`s all original in original car.

so why do you want to have the trap on your 80TD? Just because it is an 85 engine? or am I missing something here?
Most of us here on the Forum are trying to get rid of this stuff.

Charlie

methinks he wants to get a free turbo under the recall...

you understand correct. i want them to replace the trap and turbo because the turbo is jammed, and it would be *really* nice to have a factory-new turbo instead of trying to find a working one at the junkyard, or buying a rebuilt one.

i have a dead 300D that needs the same recall work that i had given up on, but if im willing to get it towed really far to a particular dealership, i can have them do the recall replacements on that car, and then pull the parts from it for the current project. it almost seems worth it for a factory new turbo....

isn't that fair? i've got two different ones that are dead because of the faulty trapox, is it too much to ask for just one replacement? i don't think i'm being greedy here. i'm broke, unemployed, a full time engineering student, and until i solve all this stuff i've got no reliable transportation.

if you sign up for AAA premier membership you can get towed one time in a year 200 miles for free.... prolly have to wait a day or three before calling the tow truck over, but its a great service...

I wasn`t trying to be critical,I was just wondering why you want the Cali stuff on your 80TD. If MB does replace the turbo, and you later want to remove the Cali manifolds along with the Trap and change it to the federal set up. You might be able to clock the turbo around to work.

Iam pretty sure there is a price difference between the Fed and Cali turbos, so maybe not.

getting rid of the trap will help you price wise if you have to replace the started down the road. Cali starter has the solinoid on the bottom, a one yr thing.

I have been through this with my learning curve on my Cali 85. :rolleyes:

Charlie

As far as I've been able to find, the trap/ox recall applies to OM603s. But it appears Tom didn't reference that.

At this point in time, you could get a turbo cassette ('core section' with all the moving parts balanced) and you or your mechanic remove and replace the housings for similar or LESS COST than a 'really far' tow (unless you have AAA Premium.) ALSO, the turbo you would get from the factory dealer would not be completely new. On a trip to Germany last year, I went looking for some parts for a customer and I could not even source a 100% new or NOS turbo in Stuttgart at the classic sales center! It would be a new cassette on reused housings. Sometimes the compressor could be reused if it is still up to spec. They are allowed to call it 'new' since the bearings, seals and moving parts are mostly new. AND granted, there's peace of mind with a dealer warranted part.

Also --Snag the 82-83 style turbo--that does not have the diaphram housing in the compressor housing ( the little 3 bolt triangle thingee)

I mentioned he might be able to clock it around, if the OP wants tu use it. don`t know how much money he wants to put into this project.

That little vacuum thingee on the 84 & 85 turbo, is an ARV valve as I remember. can be unplugged and capped off. Iam using a pre 84 turbo, and sold my 85 cali turbo for $150.

Source some manifolds from a 78 or 79 W116 300SD, then there is no EGR to block off, and looks much cleaner.
would need the Federal turbo oil line, down pipe, may be able to use the cali starter, or sell it to some one looking for one. they do cost a little more than the fed one.

One thing to remember, the Cali engine does not have the oil return line in the pan for the air filter oil seperator thingee.

Charlie